VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: TIOGA'S ROSSI HEADLINES SUPER 7 AS 'GIRLS NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR' (June 29, 2026)

Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — Already established as an up-and-coming star in track & field entering her sophomore season, Tioga's Vida Rossi made her mark in two more sports in 2025-26, and is the Valley Sports Report "Girls Newcomer of the Year."

Long and athletic, Rossi made many big plays for the Tioga volleyball team in their run to the Section IV, Class C finals.

On the season, she had 124 kills, 46 digs, nine aces, six blocks and one assist.

Over the winter, Rossi tested herself on the wrestling mats, and posted 12 wins on the season, including fourth-place finishes at the U-E Tradesman Tournament, and the Windsor Lady Black Knights Invitational.

2025-26 Super 7 "Girls Newcomers of the Year"
Vida Rossi, sophomore, volleyball and wrestling: See above.

Skylynn Payne, freshman, Athens wrestling: Payne started her first varsity campaign with 12 consecutive first-period pins, including 10 in 49 seconds or less, and finished the season with a 27-8 record. Of her 27 wins, 24 were by fall and one was via technical fall.

Payne won titles at the Queen of the Hive, and the Panther Valley Classic. She finished fourth at the District 4 Championships, and third at the Central Region Championships to punch her ticket to States, where she went 0-2.

Kayla Forbes, freshman, Athens volleyball: Seemingly unflappable for a freshman, Forbes played with the poise of an upperclassmen.

She recorded team-highs with 304 digs and 396 serve-receives, to go along with 114 points, including 45 aces, 12 assists, three kills, and two blocks.

Maddie Rogers, 8th-grader, Tioga softball: Rogers stepped into arguably the toughest position on the softball diamond, and was a key contributor Tioga from Day 1. She hit .406 (28 hits in 69 ABs) with two doubles, one triple, 14 RBI and 19 runs scored. She also walked 11 times for a .488 on-base percentage and stole six bases.

Behind the plate, Rogers deftly handled her pitchers, and she threw out five runners attempting to steal.

Kezlynn DeKay, 8th-grader, Waverly track & field: DeKay won Section IV gold in the 100-meter hurdles at the State Qualifier, and also ran on the 400-meter relay that finished second. 

DeKay was eighth in the hurdles at the STAC meet, and ran on the 400 relay team that finished fourth.

Billie Wennie, freshman, Athens soccer, basketball, track & field: At the NTL Track & Field Championships, Wennie placed sixth in the 200-meter dash (27.86 seconds) and seventh in the 100-meter dash (13.43). She also ran on the third-place 1,600-meter relay team. She placed 15th at Districts in the 100 in a time of 13.67 seconds.

Last fall, Wennie played quality minutes for the Wildcats, providing depth. She scored one goal.

Over the winter, Wennie saw varsity minutes and was a quality defender.

Reese Mills, freshman, Tioga cross country, track & field: Mills ran some of her best races in the postseason, where she placed sixth at IAC Small School divisional meet, and 10th at the IAC Championships. She finished 15th at the Section IV, Class D Championships.

After winning the 3,000-meter run, and finishing fifth in the 1,500-meter run at the IAC South Small School Divisional meet, Mills placed third in the 3,000-meter run at the IAC Championships.

Print Friendly Version